


Let's Talk

by ShaneDarkwin



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Dialogue-Only, Drabble, Feelings, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23647786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaneDarkwin/pseuds/ShaneDarkwin
Summary: Valkyrie decides to check in with her friend Omen. He's not overly enthused but there's little one can do to stop Valkyrie Cain once she's put her mind to it.
Relationships: Valkyrie Cain/Militsa Gnosis
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Let's Talk

**Author's Note:**

> post-seasons of war so very minor spoilers (only spoilers regarding omen's plot line, nothing else). proceed with caution, you've been warned.
> 
> i'm starting to really like omen. he's such a good kid and deserves more support so here it is.

"So, how's school?" 

"It's fine. We're on holiday right now." 

"That's nice." 

"I guess so."

Silence. 

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why are we doing this again?" 

"We're friends, aren't we? Friends catch up. Totally normal. Nothing weird about it at all."

"It's just that you and Skulduggery usually have a lot more important things to do than catch up."

"Well, yes, but I wanted to see how my friend Omen Darkly is doing so I asked you here to catch up. See how it's going for you. So how is it going? School's okay?" 

"You already asked that." 

"Oh. Right."

"Valkryie, did Miss Gnosis put you up to this?" 

"What? Why would she-" 

"Don't lie to me, please, I'm sixteen. Not eight. I can tell when people aren't being straight with me."

That was a new one. There was was something in his voice that almost resembled… anger?

"Yeah, she did. Sorry, dude." 

"It's alright. But you can tell her I don't need that. I have friends that I can talk to."

"She was just worried about you because she's seen you wander around alone a lot recently is all."

"So? I like to be alone. I don't rely on my brother or Never or anyone at school. I have a life outside that. I have friends outside of school, too."

"You do?" 

Valkyrie hadn't meant to sound so surprised and winced but the damage had been done.

"Yes, I do. And he's a real friend. He-" 

Omen deflated. "I can't tell you about him." 

His anger was suddenly gone. Now he looked just like the Omen Darkly she had met two years prior. A lost little boy, overlooked by everyone. She felt sorry for him.

"I had a friend like that too. Don't worry, I get that."

"You mean Darquesse?" 

"What? No! Not Darquesse. What the hell, man? That's really inappropriate."

"Sorry."

"You don't joke about people's evil magic come to life to commit genocide."

"That was dumb of me, you're right. I'm sorry."

A glance confirmed that he really did feel sorry. Dreadfully so judging by his face. 

"Are you saying that because it's what you think or because it's what you think people want to hear?" 

An ever so slight pause followed by his trademark shrug. 

"A bit of both I reckon. I don't want to hurt people, you know?" 

"But it's okay for them to hurt you?" 

There it was again. Hesitation. 

"What are you trying to get out of me here?" 

"Nothing, I swear. I just want to understand. And it is a more interesting topic than talking about school."

It was the truth. Valkyrie had never cared much about it ever since she'd started going on adventures with Skulduggery and although Corrival was worlds away from her school experience it still consisted of homework and tests and grades. And she got more than enough of info about that from Militsa. 

"It never struck me as important before. What I think, I mean. It's not nice, sure, but better than knowing I hurt someone else's feelings."

"But if you get hurt that's still someone getting hurt, isn't it? You deserve better than that, Omen."

"I think that's what my friend was trying to tell me, too. I'm starting to get that. I think. It's just, complicated. Everything's suddenly so complicated."

When Valkyrie stayed silent, Omen went on. 

"Auger and Never are a thing now. I still don't really understand how that happened but it's not the point. Auger said something to me, he said he took things from me all my life because he is the Chosen One and I'm just the useless twin brother. He didn't say useless but that's what he meant. That's what everyone sees when they look at me. My teachers, my classmates, my parents. Or it was, at least. Not anymore, though. My combat teacher thinks I have real skill, did you know that?"

He was smiling now. Proud. It suited him, Valkyrie thought and returned the smile. Startled or surprised Omen shook his head, then. 

"Where was I going with this? Oh right, yes. Auger said that maybe I didn't react too well to finding out about him and Never because he had taken the person I'm in love with from me. And I hadn't thought of Never like that before but since Auger said that I just haven't been able to stop thinking about her like that. He's my best friend. My only friend for a long time. And now I don't know anymore what to think or who to talk to."

Omen sighed, long and deep.

"It used to be so simple."

"I'm sorry, dude," Valkyrie said and nudged him with her shoulder. 

"You know I'm not very good at giving advice because most of my decisions haven't been the best and you probably shouldn't listen to anything I say, really. If there's one thing I learned, though, it's that just because you want something doesn't mean it's right for you. When I was still dating Fletcher I met this guy, Caelan. He was a vampire. He saved me one time and I don't even know what got into me but he was like, really hot. So I made a dumb, huge, ginormous mistake and I fooled around with him behind Fletcher's back because I thought I wanted someone strong and mysterious, like Caelan. Well, turned out he was quite obsessive and then tried to kill me when I broke up with him. If it hadn't been for Fletch I don't know if I would've survived."

"You cheated on Mr Renn??" 

Valkyrie winced for a second time that night. She probably shouldn't have told a Corrival student intimate details about a teacher's love life. 

"Yes but that isn't the point. It was a mistake that almost cost me my life."

"So you're saying I could kill myself by confessing my feelings to Never?" 

"Yes. Wait, no. I was just saying that just because you feel it's the right thing, it might not be. It could be the right thing for you, though. Like that guy I met in Colorado. That guy was…"

"I think you're right. Advice isn't your strongsuit."

In copying Omen, she shrugged. 

"See, we all suck at some things. Life is really just about finding the things you suck at the least and doing those so much that people eventually forget that there's things you absolutely, mortifyingly fail at."

Before the silence between them stretched into an uncomfortable one, Omen nodded. 

"Thanks, Valkyrie. That really did help."

"No problem, kiddo."

They said their goodbyes and she watched Omen wander off for a moment before turning around and walking back towards her car. She had nailed this talk. It had been utter bullshit but she'd helped him. She, Valkyrie Cain, was a genius. 

As she drove home she made a mental note to ask Militsa about job openings for a counselling position. One had to broaden her horizons after all. 


End file.
